COVID, BLM, and the polarization of US politicians on Twitter

TL;DR

This study analyzes US Congress members' Twitter discussions on COVID-19 and anti-racist protests, revealing partisan differences in framing and focus, with Democrats emphasizing health and police brutality, and Republicans highlighting economy and protest criticism.

Contribution

It provides a detailed mapping of partisan discourse on Twitter regarding COVID-19 and anti-racism, highlighting distinct framing and engagement patterns.

Findings

Democrats focus on public health and police brutality.

Republicans emphasize economy and criticize protests.

Partisan discourse differs significantly in framing and focus.

Abstract

We mapped the tweets of 520 US Congress members, focusing on analyzing their engagement with two broad topics: first, the COVID-19 pandemic, and second, the recent wave of anti-racist protest. We find that, in discussing COVID-19, Democrats frame the issue in terms of public health, while Republicans are more likely to focus on small businesses and the economy. When looking at the discourse around anti-Black violence, we find that Democrats are far more likely to name police brutality as a specific concern. In contrast, Republicans not only discuss the issue far less, but also keep their terms more general, as well as criticizing perceived protest violence.